NY hook-up joint scoring US-wide media coverage

April 01, 2002
by JAMES BURNETT

NEW YORK: Remote Lounge, a hard-wired hook-up bar located in New
York's East Village, has enjoyed a bumper run of national media coverage
- and computer-savvy singles haven't been the only ones to notice.

NEW YORK: Remote Lounge, a hard-wired hook-up bar located in New
York's East Village, has enjoyed a bumper run of national media coverage
- and computer-savvy singles haven't been the only ones to notice.

"We've enjoyed the attention,

said Luke Vahle, publicity director for
Remote's developer, Controlled Entropy Ventures. "The lounge is our most
public project, and really the only one we can talk about right now.
It's helped the parent company generate interest from investors,

he
added, "who are considering what other applications there might be for
this technology."

Since the $1 million venue opened on October 9, 2001, patrons
have been checking each other out on Remote's network of 60 video
cameras, which beam images to booths outfitted with interactive
monitors. Upon spying someone they fancy, visitors can then flirt by
sending messages to other terminals.

Vahle explained that the key to scoring media hits has been finding the
right angle for each individual outlet. Time, one of the major consumer
magazines to run stories recently, "wanted to show we were part of a
trend,

Vahle said. Popular Science emphasized the technology, while The
New Yorker published a short take with a wry feel.

Good Morning America, for its part, asked Vahle to show that Remote was
stirring up controversy. "I was never able to come up with anything,

he
said. "But after we were in Time, they didn't care.

The show aired a
segment last Thursday.

As for sustaining the buzz that Remote has achieved, Vahle said his
strategy has relied on one of nightlife PR's most time-tested tactics:
"Basically, I've been doing it the old-fashioned way,